Hold on to me as we go,
As we roll down this unfamiliar road,
And although this wave is stringing us along,
Just know you're not alone,
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home.
Phillip Phillips, Home
Emma's fingers drummed nervously along the steering wheel of David's truck. It was far from the only sound in the car though. Henry had not yet stopped talking to John Doe. His small voice chattering excitedly about all the horses at the farm, and how he would show Mr. Doe the right way to brush a horse, was the only thing keeping Emma remotely calm.
For his part, John seemed to be taking everything in strides. He hmmed and aahhed in all the right places during Henry stories, and never once seemed bothered by the boy.
Another heart-warming thing to add to the ever growing list. Emma thought nervously. She didn't need thoughts like those, or this list of things about this man that made her smile. She didn't want any of it. The situation was already too complicated. Emma didn't do complicated. Not if she could avoid it.
"Is this yours?" John's voice snapped her back to attention. They had just turned off the road and into the drive of Misthaven.
"Sure is." Emma replied. It had been a long time since Emma had wondered what people thought of her home. It was such a fixture in not only her life, but everyone in the town. Over the years almost ever horse owner had brought her one creature or another. And much to her dismay, since Mary Margret had moved in with David her kitchen had become something of a refuge for the down trodden to be cheered up by the short haired woman.
Growing up, the ranch had been heaven on earth to Emma. Nothing had seemed more beautiful, from the large oak trees that framed the drive to the clear pond out back by the southern horse pasture. Even now, there was no better way to start her day than to look out across the fields at the sun rising around the barn, around the shelters in the pastures that Emma had helped Ruth and the boys put up when she was only 10. Emma still loved everything about the ranch, and always would. It was home.
Looking at it now though, Emma had to wonder. The sign out front had faded since she was a kid, and the wooden fence had long since sun bleached. It was the lawn, however, that gave her pause. Ever since his sudden reappearance in Storybrooke James had decided that it was his job to mow the lawn. Much to David's horror. James had never been much for yard work growing up, not like his brother. And now he still wasn't much better. He had no sense of plan when he climbed onto the ride on mower. He mainly circled around the lawn, cutting as he seemed fit and stopping for the day in random places. He never finished everything in one cut, and as a result the lawn had strange patches of longer grass and was in serious need of a good weed whipping.
As they pulled up to the garage, Emma cringed at the memory of James first time on the mower.
"He's gonna break it!" David whined to Emma.
"I'm not gonna break anything!" James protested, settling into the mower's seat.
"It's my mower!" David protested again, throwing his hands in the air as if he was five again.
"You don't even live here anymore!" James exclaimed. "Thus it is MY job to take care of the lawn!"
"I'm going to be living here again until we get the renovations done!" David countered, attempting to push James off the mower.
"Children! Enough!" Emma scolded clapping her hands twice to get their attention. "Now," Emma began once they both had their hand to themselves again, "David, it is your mower- "
"Yeah my brand new mower!" He quieted down again at the sight of her glare.
"BUT you need to share. What kind of example is this for Henry? Just let him cut the grass today, and will see who cuts it next time. Alright?" She leveled them with her best mom stare.
"Sounds good to me." James said, looking to much like the cat that got the canary for Emma's taste.
"Just once." David conceded.
James started up the mower and pulled out of the garage. He lowered the blades once he hit the grass… only to drive directly over a pile of rocks.
David cried out running after James as he now drove the mower full speed away. Emma merely rubbed the bridge of her nose and wondered how long she would survive having the two of them in their childhood home again.
Emma was grateful that the repairs kept David busy enough that he wasn't trying to re cut every mow job James did, but as she watched John Doe's eyes sweep across the property, a small part of her couldn't help but wish he had.
Emma wondered what John Doe thought of it. Did he see how the afternoon sun danced lazily along the barn roof? Did he notice how the wind chimes rung out sweetly in the gentle breeze? Did he see that it was beautiful? When he saw the missing bark on the tree by the front lawn could he see that was a memory without knowing how David had swiped it off his first time trying to back the horse trailer into the drive? Did he know that the tacky door mat was more than just something to wipe your boots off on? That it was a souvenir from August's trip to New Mexico? Did he see that despite being old and rickety that the front porch swing had held six generations of Nolans in it? And if by some miracle he could see or know these things, would he care? Would he look at the ranch as Emma did, or did he just see something less? Something not quite the home Emma knew?
She waited for him to say something. Anything. The moment seemed to hang in front of her, unmoving and torturous.
"It's beautiful." He spoke softly, turning his head towards Emma as her did. "It's quite the land you Captain here Swan."
Looking into his ocean blue eyes, full of nothing but sincerity – and perhaps envy? - Emma suddenly wasn't so nervous anymore.
"So we have a guest room you'll be staying in," Emma told John as they walked into the foyer of the old house.
"Who will be staying in?" James voice rang out from the top of the stairs. "Holy shit, John Doe up and about. Who would've thought we'd see the day." James came bounding down the stairs, bearing a great deal of resemblance to an overgrown puppy.
"Deputy Nolan," John said politely, extending his hand.
"He knows my name and everything! I mean for a guy who doesn't even know his own name that's pretty impressive! What?" he asked, seeing the look on Emma's face. "Too soon?"
"Yeah Uncle Jay I'm pretty sure six seconds is too soon!" Henry piped up from behind Emma.
"Solid Supernatural reference little man." James held up his hand for a high five. Emma put her face in her hands.
"…What's supernatural about it?" John asked with a confused tilt of his head.
"It's a tv show. Kind of a long story as to why Henry watches it – just… Just don't ask." Emma sighed. "Anyway, you two have already met?"
"Nope-" James said just as John replied with an "Aye-"
Emma looked back and forth between the two.
"I think as the one without brain damage we should go with my answer here." James said with an awkward pat to John's shoulder.
"But- But you questioned me when I woke up from the accident!" John exclaimed, flabbergasted.
"Ah- there it is!" James said happily, "we have found the confusion! I didn't in fact, ask you anything."
John merely looked skeptically at James.
"What didn't you ask him?" David asked, walking in the door behind John.
Emma wished she had a camera to capture how fast John's head swung between her two adoptive brothers.
"Bloody hell Swan. You're seeing two as well? Or is this another effect of the crash?"
Emma took pity on his wide eyes. "John, this is my brothers James and David," she pointed at each respectively, "and both are also known as Deputy Nolan."
"Ah," was John's only reply.
"Whatcha doing here anyway?" James asked, now picking Henry up to place him on his hip.
Oh dear Lord. Emma hadn't planned for this. She hadn't realized that she would have to be the one to tell her family that the random man she pulled out of a burning car was now going to be part of their lives for the foreseeable future.
"He's staying here until we find out who he is." Thankfully it was David who replied. "Would you like to see your room?" He asked John kindly.
"He's staying here?" James exclaimed. "Oh well this is going to be fun." He smirked tossing the arm that wasn't holding Henry up around John's shoulders before pulling him along. "Welcome to the nut house man, and don't worry, were all mad here."
One child. One do-gooder. One over protective brother. One prankster brother. One amnesia patient. One extremely uncomfortable mother, one roof, and no end in sight. Yeah, this is gonna be great.Emma shuddered as she followed the boys up the stairs to John's new room.